Garment-fastener.



H. S. BRBWINGTON.

GARMENT FASTBNER. APPLICATION FILED BBPT.14,1909.

966,406. Patented Aug. 2, 1910.

as rare HENRY S. BBEWINGTON, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOB TO ALMA MANU- FACTUBING COMPANY OF BALTIMORE CITY, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, A COR- POMIION OF MARYLAND.

GARMENT-FASTENER.

Specification of Iietters Patent,

Patented Aug. 2, 1910.

Application filed September It, 1909. Serial No. 517,587.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY S. BREWING- TON," a citizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore city, State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Garment-Fasteners, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to fastenings for gloves and garments, especially the garmerits Worn by ladies and children such as waists, dress bodies, etc., and the object of the invention is to provide an improved fastening for such use as a substitute for the ordinary hooks and eyes heretofore used.

Heretofore the eye of an ordinary hook and eye fastening has been engaged by a hook and .hasbeen constructed to lie flat upon the material to which it was attached. In order to;engage the hook with the eye it was necessary to pass the point of the hook beyond the eye so that it might be inserted therein and then brought back to cause the engaging bar or end of the eye to contact with the engaging bar of the hook. This required that there should always be slack enough in the parts to be secured together to permit the ook and eye to be moved beymid each other and then drawn back to make the engagement. For this reason a snug fit of the garment, secured by such fasteners, has been impossible. With the use of invention, however, such slack is unnecessary for the reason that. instead of using a hook, I use a ball or similar device and instead of the ordinary eye, I use a spring eye with a ring at the end to engage over the ball, thus preserving the practical advantages of the ordinary hook and eye .fastening as to cheapness and easy attachby means of a metal fastener. The member substituted for the eye in my fastening may be secured to the garment by sewing or any other suitable means and is preferably made from spring wire in order to provide a re silient ring to engage over the ball member.

In order that the construction and operation of my invention may be understood, I have illustrated an embodiment thereof in the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 represents a view of two parts of a garment having my improved fastener secured thereto with the parts in engagement. Fig. 2 represents an enlarged detail View of the two parts of the fastener engaged with each other, but unattached to a garment. Figs. 3 and l represent similar views of the ball member and eye member, respectively, detached from each other. Fig. 5 represents a plan view of my fastener provided with modified means for the attachment of the ball member to the material, and Fig. 6 represents a view of the fastener of Fig. 5 in elevation, secured to a garment, the parts of the material of the garment being shown in section.

Like reference characters mark the same parts wherever they occur in all the figures of the drawing.

Referring specifically to the drawing, 1 represents the spring eye. It has at its rear end, eyes 2 by which it is adapted to be secured to the surface of the material or garment upon which it is to be used, by sewing or other preferred means. The body of the spring eye consists of two parallel portions 3 of wire, bent into contact with each other from the attached eyes 2 to the ball engaging eye 4, the latter being substantially circiilar and of slightly less diameter than the greatest diameter of the ball member 5 of the fastener, whereby by squeezing the eye 4 down upon the head or ball 5, the longitudinal portions 3 of the body will yield and separate from each other, thus enlarging the eye 4 sufficiently to permit it to pass over the ball 5 after which the resiliency of the parts 3, 3 will cause them to return to their positions of contact with each other and thus decrease the diameter of the en aging eye 4 and cause it to clasp the neck of the ball 5 snugly and prevent said eye from slipping over the ball under ordinary strains.

6 and 7 represent the two parts of a glove or garment to be secured together by this fastener. In Figs. 1, 2 and 3 the ball member is provided with a flange S having apertures 9 of any desired form, to receive stitches by which it may be secured to the material. The attaching eyes 2, 2 of the eye member are preferably secured to the vention.

portion 7 of the material of the glove or garment by means of stitches 14.

By reason of the lengthening of the body of the eye in the form of bars 3, 3, the enlargement of the engaging eye 4, in order to pass it over the ball 5, will be permitted without disturbing the fastening of the eyes 2, 2, to the material of the garment, the length and resiliency of the parts 3, 3 permitting of their separation under the strain of passing the eye 4 over the ball without in any wise affecting the position of the eyes 2, 2 when secured to the garment.

The means hereinbefore described for securing the ball member to the material, by means of stitches, is probably preferred, but

it is obvious that any other known means may be used, such, for instance, as that shown in Figs. 5 and 6, wherein the ball member is provided with a flange 12 which lies upon the face of the material 6 andwith a second flange 13 beneath the material having an eyelet portion 14 passing into and spread within theball 5 in a well known manner to secure the parts of the ball member together and to the material.

I prefer that the eye member be made of spring wire and in one piece and shaped substantially as represented, the attaching eyes 2 being formed by turning the ends of the wire and the yielding properties being provided for the engaging eye 4 because of the lengthand resiliency of the body members 3, but I do not confine myself specifically to the exact form shown and described. Neither do I confine myself to the exact method of attaching the eye member to the material for the reason that the form of the attaching portions, in this instance, the attaching eyes 2, might be changed wlthout departing from the spirit and scope of the In- It is also obvious that other methods, not described, for securing the ball member to the material, will clearl fall within the scope of the present invention.

The described fasteneris especially adapted as a substitute for the hook and eye as one member Will engage the other by being simply brought in line therewith and pressed upon it and when thus engaged, the strain or-separating pull is brought upon the neck of the ball member, such draft tending to more securely engage the two members together, by causing the diameter of the engaging eye 4 to be further contracted and to press upon the neck of the ball with greater force. v

By forming the eyes 2 .abutting against each other, and extending the parallel portions 3 from the abutting sides of said eyes I provide an unyielding fastening means, the resiliency of the parallel portions 3 commencing where the formation of the eyes 2 ceases. Thus, when the-spring eye 4 is expanded the lateral strain on the eyes 2 is obviated, reducing the strain upon the attaching threads to a minimum said strains being the cause of detaching. thefastener from the fabric. I

Having described the invention, What is claimed as new, is-

In a fastener of the character described, an eye member adapted to engage a ball member, embodying a circular springeye with an uninterrupted contour and open at one side only, attaching eyes, and elongated resilient members connecting said spring eye and the attaching eyes, said elongated resilient members normally lying in contact with each other throughout their length and adapted to be forced apart when the spring eye is expanded, and extending between the attaching eyes, forming an elongated abutment between said attaching eyes, whereby they are prevented from rotating, and the ends of said attaching eyes bent into engagement with the elongated resilient members, forming a fulcrum point for the elongated members at which their expansion will stop.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HENRY S. BREWINGTON.

Witnesses:

MARY M. MAGRAW, RICHARD E. PREECE. 

